BEE-EFF-EFF!
by Ladie Fuyuki
Summary: [AU] She whines, he grumbles. She pouts, he grumbles. This is a typical and ordinary day in Gajeel's life as he spends one afternoon with his childhood friend, Juvia. But, it's never ordinary when Juvia's around. What more when Gajeel comes to a big realization...


**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima** (although I would kinda want to adopt Juvia, because I'm not sure if i'm liking Mashima's recent portrayal of my water goddess...but I digress).

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _I won't do what you told me;_ _I won't do what you said_  
 _I'm not gonna forget it;_ _I don't wanna start over_  
 _I don't wanna pretend that y_ _ou are not my lover_  
 _That you're only my friend_  
 _\- Colbie Caillat, I Won't_

* * *

"Juvia, whine about Stripper to me one more time, and I swear..." a tall, broad-chested boy grumbles, pinching the bridge between his brows, calming himself down. He stares down at the pouting girl crouched on the ground, her wavy cerulean locks trailing down her shoulders.

It is taking every inch of Gajeel Redfox's patience not to strangle his childhood best friend. Heck, he is used to her whines, over-the-top antics, obsessive traits, and gloomy tendencies. But for her to keep complaining about a guy he despises, well that is certainly testing his control.

The crazy girl in question looks up to her friend with dejection. "You're the only one Juvia can talk to about love problems," she puffs her cheeks. The two of them are at the playground near Gajeel's house, which is about a block away from Juvia Lockser's. This is where she always meets up with Gajeel. This is where their friendship stood the test of time.

She stays crouched on the ground, her knees neatly folded to her chest. She fiddles with the stick in her hand, creating stick figures on the sand.

"Talk to me about anything, Puddle, but stop talking about that shitface already."

This time Juvia stands to face him with a defiant air. She folds her arms across her chest, lifts her chin up, and with a snotty glare declares, "Gray is no shitface. It's Gajeel who's a shitface!"

"Take that back, Puddle-breath."

"No! Gajeel is shitface, and not Gray!" She untangles her arms, and stretches her right arm to poke her best friend's hard chest.

The two continue to trade insulting remarks, albeit very immature phrases. When Juvia mentions that Gray is a better athlete than Gajeel, the linebacker of their school's football, that's when the onyx-haired boy sent daggers her way.

Gajeel puts his hands around Juvia's neck, and as gentle as he could be, pretends to choke the bluenette. "If this is the only way I can make you stop, so be it!" He acts as if he was gripping her neck hard, while the bluenette stares at him unfazed.

"AAHH!"

The best friends simultaneously jerk their heads to the right. A little girl, probably around five or six, gapes at them and points a finger.

"MOMMY, THE SCARY MAN IS KILLING THE RAIN LADY!"

The girl scampers out the playground, her short legs carrying her to whatever destination she intends to go.

Gajeel lets go of his pretend-choke on Juvia. "Great, now I should just dispose your body so no one can trace the murder back to me!" Juvia punches him on the arm. The boy flinches because the girl delivered a serious one.

"You scared a little girl, Gajeel," she states as a-matter-of-factly. "But can you be serious for a few minutes? Please?" she begs, giving him her best puppy eyes impression. "For Juvia?"

Gajeel rolls his eyes. It's not like he has a choice. Even if he didn't want to listen, this girl will find ways to make him listen. "He already rejected you, Juv. What more do you need to hear?"

"Gray didn't exactly reject me," she reasons. It is true. What Gray told her isn't a clear-cut rejection. "He said he doesn't think he can date Juvia."

The boy pulls out his hair in a dramatic fashion. "That's a fucking rejection!" he frustratingly retorts.

In a tiny voice, she mumbles, "He said 'for now'. Doesn't that mean there's a chance he'd want to go out with Juvia in the future?"

At this point, Gajeel's annoyance isn't directed anymore at the captain of their school's hockey team, Gray Fullbuster.

Juvia has had a major infatuation with the ice-dude ever since they were in grade 8. She claims to be so in love with him that she made sure to register at Magnolia High. She could've stayed at Phantom High, which is an affiliated high school of their middle school. But no, Juvia insisted to make her high school debut at Magnolia High. She even brought Gajeel along.

"He said that to you when you're still in grade 9. He said it to you during grade 10, which was just last year. He said it to you now at grade 11. The dude's in grade 12. He's leaving for university next year, while you're still stuck as a high school student," Gajeel tries to explain as calmly as possible. "Juvia, Gray doesn't like you!" He sounds harsh, but she needs to hear it.

Comprehension seems to dawn on her face, but she quickly dismisses it. "Can't... Can't Gajeel lie to Juvia, and tell her Gray will love her eventually?"

Gajeel shakes his head. He's aware Juvia's imagination runs rampant, but he's so shocked at her state of delusion. "I'm not gonna do that, cause I don't want to be a bold-faced liar." He turns around and walks away from her. There's really no use talking to her at the moment. Juvia just refuses to accept the truth.

"Wait for Juvia," she catches up to him, clinging onto his arm. "Juvia just wanted to rant and whine. Not upset Gajeel-kun."

He glimpses at her out of the corner of his eyes. He hates seeing her all sullen. "Back in middle school, you said that as long as you see Gray, and be with him even from afar, you'll be satisfied. Why are you being greedy now?"

Juvia rests her head on Gajeel's bulging arm, but the boy continues to walk without care if he's dragging Juvia with him. When Juvia puffed her cheeks and proceeded to huff it out — a habit she does when giving up on something — Gajeel smirks.

"Fine, Juvia will not complain anymore," she signs, and then nuzzles her nose on his arm.

"What the hell? Don't do that!"

Juvia tightens her grip and bits him lightly, earning her a yelp. However, Gajeel stays in her hold. She does that a lot, especially when she's going to demand something from him.

"Fuck, what do you want now?"

"Juvia will stop her whining if Gajeel brings her to Gelato Time."

From his peripheral vision, Gajeel could see that her sticking out her lower lip. Again with her puppy expression, trying to appear cute and cuddly. She's not!

"I spend most of my part-time pay on you, Puddle. You eat a lot there," he sulks, but stirs his pace towards the direction of the gelato shop. Gajeel shakes off her hands around his right arm. But instead of widening the distance between them, he puts it around Juvia's neck. The bluenette is now caged inside his arm in a not-so-tight headlock.

It might appear awkward for others, but for Juvia and Gajeel this is a normal thing. Gajeel acts brash and rough around her, while Juvia displays her violent self — something she rarely shows to others.

As the two make their way to the gelato place, they earn puzzled looks from passersby. Gajeel is known as the tough kid in the neighbourhood. No one believes that he's only in high school. Truth is, he is a year older than Juvia, but he took one year off during elementary. During his return, no one dared to approach the scary, older kid in their grade. Except for Juvia.

Juvia, on the other hand, has earned the nickname "rain lady" in their neighbourhood — only because every time it pours, she goes out and dances in the rain. No one knows why she does it. Except for Gajeel.

Upon entering the gelato shop, the elderly owner greets them with a sincere welcome. He's known the two teenagers since they were in elementary. Both Juvia and Gajeel visit his gelato shop at least once a month, always together. If he didn't know about the extent of their friendship, he'd think the two are a couple.

"Hi Uncle Benicio," greets Juvia politely. She likes the elderly owner for his cheerfulness, as well as his skill for making the best gelato in all of Magnolia.

"Hey Uncle Ben," Gajeel follows with his casual greeting. "The usual for me. And as usual, Puddle here will take ten minutes to decide."

"Are there new flavours?" Juvia asks eagerly, craning her neck to check out the display.

"Just the one from last week. Blueberry Cheesecake," Benicio informs her.

Gajeel groans out loud. "You ask that all the time. You already know that Uncle Ben puts out a new flavour once every month."

"Shut up," Juvia lamely retorts. She furrows her brow, undecided what she wants to order. She wants to eat them all — and she's tried them all too. But each and every time she visits here with Gajeel, she just couldn't decide what to get.

"Just give her the hazelnut one, Uncle Ben," Gajeel decides for her after five minutes of letting her ponder. Juvia is about to protest, but Gajeel holds up a hand and clamps her mouth shut. "I pay; I decide." The bluenette wants to argue but decided against it. "We'll take a seat there, Uncle Ben."

"Okay, just give me a few minutes," Benicio laughs as he turns around to prepare the scoops for his two loyal patrons.

Juvia sits across Gajeel, a pout visibly painted across her charming face. Gajeel snatches his eyes away from her face to focus his gaze outside the shop's window. He props an elbow and rests his chin on the back of his hand.

"Have you thought about what you want to do after high school?" It had only been a month into their eleventh grade, but Juvia knows their last two years will be crucial.

"Yup," he answers limitedly.

"Is it still Mechanical Engineering in university?"

"Yup."

"Juvia doesn't know what to do after high school."

This time Gajeel turns to look at her. He's been privy of Juvia's lack of ambition regarding the future. When friends ask her, Juvia would jokingly state that she plans to be Gray's wife and give him as many babies as he wants. Gajeel knows that she's just trying to evade the subject.

"Juvia's not as smart as Gajeel," she muses with a sad expression.

"But you're not as dumb as Natsu," he supplies as if to make her feel better. Before she can say anything else, Benicio calls Gajeel to take their gelato. "Thanks Uncle Ben," Gajeel says to the owner. Instead of the two scoops that Gajeel paid for, Benicio gave his loyal customers three.

"Any time. You kids enjoy."

"Gajeel, let's go eat outside," Juvia suggests, standing up to get her gelato cup from Gajeel. She waves to the owner and promises to come back. Gajeel has no choice but to follow his carefree friend.

Juvia leads him to the nearby park, which is littered with kids since it's a Saturday. She sits on a bench in front of the water fountain and begins to dig in her gelato. "Mmm, this is Juvia's favourite flavour."

Rolling his eyes, Gajeel snorts, "That's what you say with every gelato you order."

"But today, this is Juvia's favourite. Plus, Gajeel chose it for me."

"I always choose what you order, Puddle," he exclaims. "And pay for it as well."

Juvia beams at him, her smile always lifting his moods. But Gajeel knows how to mask it with indifference. He scoops a spoonful and shoves it inside her mouth. "Is that your favourite now?"

Juvia licks her lips to savour the taste of the pistachio ice cream. That very act elicits a warm sensation all over Gajeel's body. He ignores whatever meaning it entails _every._ _damn._ _time._ it happens. Juvia giggles and bats her eyelashes. "Can I have one more taste?" she uses her coquettish voice to persuade him, not knowing how her tone sounds very alluring. Gajeel would like to think he's only feeling this way because he's a hot-blooded teenage boy. Not to mention, his relationship with his girlfriend of a year has ended recently. So, that could be a contributing factor why Juvia would appear seductive in his eyes.

But who is he kidding? Unbeknownst to his best friend, Juvia is the reason why Levy McGarden broke up with him. Levy, a very sweet and kind girl, continues to be a friend to Juvia despite what transpired between her and Gajeel. It's just that... she tells Gajeel she's aware of his feelings towards his childhood friend. Of course Gajeel has denied it, but he willingly relented to end their relationship.

Juvia, for her part, tries her very best to reconcile the two — and she's still trying even though both Levy and Gajeel firmly told her a second chance is impossible. If she only knew she's the reason behind the breakup.

As sensing that his thoughts are on his ex-girlfriend, Juvia mentions Levy's current plans. "Levy is going out with Droy tonight," she carefully informs Gajeel, gauging his expression. He remains stoic. "We can thwart their plans, Gajeel. Juvia will help."

The dark-haired boy eyes his friend. Expect her to come up with such an idea. "Droy's been in love with her for a long time. It's high time Levy gives him a chance."

Juvia angrily snaps at him, "How could you say that? Don't you want to get back with Levy?" In her mind, they are the perfect couple. That's not to say she wasn't envious. Oh, she remembers feeling envious of Gajeel's happy relationship with the sweet girl. She recalls the feeling of envy when Gajeel spent more time with Levy than her. She's reminded of actually being jealous of the petite bluenette, especially when she sees the couple in a loving embrace. Nevertheless, Juvia wants to see Gajeel happy. He's gone through so much pain during his childhood, and Juvia wishes nothing but the very best for him.

She's willing to sacrifice many things for her best friend. Gajeel probably has no idea, but he is actually Juvia's first love.

Shaking off the thoughts from her mind, Juvia shoots him a determined look. "Levy belongs to you, and you belong to Levy."

"Not according to her," Gajeel vaguely tells her. "She says I already belong to someone else."

Juvia frowns in puzzlement. "Did you... did you cheat on Levy?"

Gajeel shrugs. Did he really? Levy has claimed that Gajeel wasn't honest with his feelings. She tells him she's letting him go, so that he could fulfill the desires of his heart, as dramatic as that sounds.

"I didn't, idiot," he snaps, not really liking the conversation.

In retrospect, he's aware that he used his attraction to Levy as a tool to disregard his growing feelings for his best friend. The last thing he wanted is to lose Juvia — to not have her in his life. If having a platonic relationship with her guarantees her constant presence, he's willing to sacrifice what his body and heart crave.

Juvia mumbles something under her breath, not audible even to his keen hearing. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spots a familiar figure. Like him, this individual has raven hair. But unlike him, this individual owns Juvia's heart. A growl threatens to escape from his throat.

From a significant distance, Gray Fullbuster walks coolly clasping a girl's hand. Gajeel has no idea who the chick is. What he's damn sure of is when Juvia sees them, the latter would either go into hysterics, bawl her eyes out, attack the girl, wails out loud, or lose consciousness from the pain. Heck, she might even do those in order!

As the couple approaches, Gajeel's fury is rising. He's always been hot-tempered and quick to anger. He can visualize himself choking the hockey captain or beating the living lights out of him. Yet, his priority at the moment is the bubbling idiot beside him. So far, Gray and the _bimbo_ haven't entered Juvia's peripheral vision. Gajeel needs to distract her. And he needs to do it fast or else all hell would break loose.

"Juvia," he says her name with a hard tone. The bluenette continues to spurt inaudible remarks about her best friend. "JUVIA!" he calls her with a firm voice, snapping her attention.

"What?"

In an instant, Gajeel's lips crashes into Juvia's, catching the girl by surprise. When she made no move to stop or encourage him, he deepens the kiss, his tongue meeting hers. In her state of shock, her eyes remain open, staring into space.

Gajeels nibbles on her lower lip, and then he pulls back. Automatically, Juvia covers her mouth with both of her hands, the pounding in her chest getting louder by the beat.

"Wha— wh— why d-did — why w-would..." she tries to say something but can't form her words properly.

"I wanted to know how your gelato tastes like," Gajeel says nonchalantly. He notices that Gray Fullbuster stands rigidly from afar, intently watching the best friends. Juvia's back is turned, so there's no way she knows of the stripper's presence. Good, that's Gajeel's intention. To keep her distracted.

"Ju... Juvia needs to go, Gajeel," the bluenette stands and runs away.

"Yup, it's delicious," he calls after her but she doesn't look back.

Gajeel sighs, ignoring the audience named Gray. For some reason, the stripper captain of the hockey team is also shell-shocked from what he saw. Gajeel snorts, slumps back on his seat, finishes the cup of gelato, and stares regrettably at the cup Juvia had accidentally discarded. He takes his phone from his pocket. His locked screen displays a smiling Juvia poking Gajeel's cheeks. The picture has doodles on it, artfully photoshopped by the bluenette. An acronym has been formed using blue squiggly lines.

 ** _B.F.F._**

Best friends for life.

"Or boy-fucking-friend!" Gajeel mutters, his words laced with sarcasm. He licks his lips, imitating Juvia's earlier action. He can still taste her inside his mouth. God knows how long he's wanted that from her. He wonders if she's mad. _No shit, Sherlock!_ She'll be even more devastated if she finds out Gray Fullbuster saw her kissing him. The hockey stripper has proceeded to walk alongside the bimbo, still sending Gajeel a strange look.

Whatever, Gajeel decides. He is in love with Juvia.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm aware that majority of the fandom simply sees these two as platonic. I can't exactly say I ship them romantically and would hope they become canon. But, it's something I want to experiment writing about. I'm still fiddling with the idea of continuing this, or keeping it as a one-shot. I would love to receive feedback...**


End file.
